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Monthly Archives: March 2014

Most people will claim a hot shower is where they do all their best thinking. It’s probably where you come up with your most groundbreaking ideas, your think tank. A time to reflect on your day and what you have going on. At least that’s what they are for me, 20 minutes of thought as I just stand under hot water with no distractions whatsoever. Now, why on earth would you give up these relaxing, hot water think sessions?

A week ago I came across this post (read it, it’s hilarious and the man is a far better writer than I) about a life hack that was supposed to improve circulation, combat depression, strengthen immunity, increase testosterone, and increase energy. That sure sounds appealing, doesn’t it? Obviously, so I thought I’d try it out.

All it requires: 1) get in the shower, 2) turn the water to cold, and 3) last at least five minutes.

Thoughts after shower 1: Holy. Shit. Stepping out of that first shower I thought to myself, “there’s no way I’m going to be able to do this for a week straight, let alone make it a full blown habit.”

But somehow I managed to stick to it for a full week. Now I can’t say that I’ve experienced any of the long term benefits yet, but there is something pretty pleasant about the cold. For one, it sure does wake you up and gives you a little boost of energy. We all could have predicted that one. It cut my shower time down by about 15 minutes. I mean, there’s no reason to linger under cold water. You’re in, you’re out.

The most unexpected benefit was the extinction of these think sessions we’re all so used to during showers. Getting rid of these probably doesn’t sound too appealing to you. But here’s why it should be. My mind was no longer worrying and thinking over what I had to get done that day or focusing on work. It was simply, “How can I wash my body and get the hell out of here before I freeze to death?” I found that it was the short few minutes of my day where my mind was able to take a short break from whatever had been occupying it.

I would absolutely recommend switching over to the cold side. If not for any of the other suggested benefits, but at least for those few minutes of not having to think about anything. Everybody’s mind needs to chill out. Try it, comment, tell us if you’ve had a positive experience with it. If you find your mind still wandering, then the water isn’t quite cold enough.

Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How to Use your Own Stories To Communicate with Power and Impact by: Annette Simmons

Business classes, teachers and parents have all preached about how clear, logical stories are best communicated. If the story is brief, even better! However, we can’t forget how some of the best storytellers are those that inspire, motivate and persuade an audience through a realistic anecdote or some type of “human element”.

Here are a few tips the author, Annette Simmons recommends for having a “Winning” story:

Think in Story – Or in other words, try and train your brain to make your stories make people feel something!

Find Stories to Tell – This is your opportunity to be interesting! Don’t always tell people what they want to hear.

Perfect Your Craft – practice, practice, practice—then kill it!

This book is great for those wondering how to define their ideas and find clarity of thought. It outlines basic categories of stories and even allows you to write in your book! If anyone is searching for a book to read in maintain his or her communication skills, I definitely recommend this book.

I am a huge Taco Bell fan, or as I like to call it, Tbell or Tbizzle. People can hate all they want on the food itself but as for their marketing and advertising goes.. we all know that it has changed the game by adding a fourth meal. The people Taco Bell are targeting have a tendency to stay up later than other, therefore they get hungry after dinner, and that’s where the fourth meal along with its advertising dominates the game.

Taco Bell has also tried incorporating some breakfast items in the past, however, on March 27, 2014, they are releasing the reinvention of not only their breakfast items, but also breakfast items in general. They are calling it “Firstmeal.” These items are included below in the picture.

Just hearing about the new “Firstmeal” and seeing what is going to be offered, such as a WAFFLE TACO, I think is going to stir up some Taco Bell buzz and lure in some early risers. Taco Bell has stepped up the marketing game in order to promote the “Firstmeal” by mailing out “Breakfast Phones.” Taco Bell is in the process of mailing out around 1,000 Samsung T404G phones from HipCricket to superfans and influencers. Recipients of the “Breakfast Phones” will be given diverse missions to complete in the hopes of winning prizes including a Waffle Taco button-up shirt or hoodie, a set of A.M. Crunchwrap sheets with hashbrown pajamas and free Taco Bell breakfast for a year. They are keeping the extent of the missions quiet for now because they don’t want circulate the secrets just yet. The phones began reaching some fans as of March 19.

Tressie Lieberman, the director, digital marketing and platforms of DigitasLBi in San Francisco says, “We just wanted to do something that was really personal. We’re calling them every day. You never know when the phone will ring.” Taco Bell chose their superfans and others they were sending the phones to through their activity on social media and their support to the brand.

Old Spice arguably has the biggest right now, but Kmart‘s are growing faster than your pubescent little brother’s and Dodge threw their testes into the ring when they partnered with Ron Burgundy for the new Durango. Everyone in advertising talks about “disruption” and “breakthrough ideas,” but few campaigns are unexpected enough to blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday. (If you get that reference, you have taste.)

Ever heard of Tipp-Ex? Me neither. It’s Germany’s version of White-Out, and its balls are bigger than Ivan Drago‘s. And Tipp-Ex produced what is, hands down, my favorite advertising execution from the past the decade. Allow me to introduce… the Tippexperience.

The Easter Bunny couldn’t find all the Easter eggs hidden in this rich media unit/YouTube experiment. The video starts with a compassionate hunter sparing the life of a grizzly bear. He breaks the fourth wall and the constraints of the YouTube frame as he grabs a Tipp-Ex Pocket Mouse from the ad unit nearby. He erases the verb in the title of the video, “A hunter shoots a bear,” and asks the viewer to “white and rewrite” the story. It’s like a choose your adventure story, but in video form, and it’s awesome. The following words yield my favorite results:

The one-year mark since I walked the stage at college graduation is quickly approaching. To summarize that statement in a word – weird.

I’ve learned a lot in post-grad life already. Much more than my overly cocky, college-self thought I even had left to learn. I’ve been knocked on my ass countless times – in work and in life. There are some lessons that college just does not teach you. And to the people still in college…. Please treasure the ability to afternoon nap. That lifestyle adjustment is a bigger struggle than budgeting for student loan payments.

Early adulthood. It’s the undeniable mix of “this sucks” and the new version of “the most exciting time of your life.”

The biggest lesson I am continually learning is to stop making long-term plans. Life can be so much better if you learn to be flexible and just go with it.

This time last year I accepted an offer for a six-month internship with an ad agency abroad. Long story short, the contract/work visa process was not on my side and a month later it all fell through in one short afternoon. I found myself suddenly with nothing lined up, spending Easter at my parent’s home sending out applications to ad agencies from coast to coast. I had no ties and was ready for an adventure. The week of graduation the decision came down to two completely opposite opportunities. Shortly after graduation I moved to a city I had never been to and knew no one in, unpacked into an apartment I had never seen in person and started work at agency that I had only Skype interviewed with.

There were probably a few red flags that went up in your head as you read that sentence. I can almost guarantee that those are some of the obstacles that I have dealt with since the move. I will be the first to admit it was a far from flawless plan but it was also one of the best decisions I have ever made.

In the past 10 months…

I have experienced homesickness I didn’t know I was capable of, felt completely out of my element, watched some college friendships fade while others have developed into the equivalent of family, experienced true terror (also known as the time Jordan visited me and we drove my Kia to the summit of Pikes Peak), learned that some things that I never even considered I actually really want, learned that some things I once thought I wanted I actually really hate, met great friends that I can’t imagine not in my life right now and, overall, discovered that college is only phase one of the “self discovery” process.

Do I still think about the other opportunity? Of course. But it’s just one of the potential places on my mental “post-grad nomad” list. Will all of those places happen? I have no idea. Could I stay in Colorado forever? It could definitely happen. (I mean, have you been here?) There’s no plan or time frame for any of it and that’s the way I like it.

If you have the chance to throw yourself into the unknown, away from everyone. Do it. It’s confusing, lonely, exciting, lesson-inducing, challenging and a ton of fun.